# Define Storage Limits

You can define storage limits for the mailbox. Storage limits include maximum mailbox size and deleted item retention.

1. Right-click a user.
2. On the shortcut menu, click Properties.
3. On the Exchange General tab, click Storage Limits.
4. Under Storage limits, select the Use information store defaults check box to use the default storage limit settings for the Exchange private information store, or click to clear the Use information store defaults check box to change storage limit size thresholds for issuing warnings and prohibitions. If you clear this check box, you can change the following settings:
   - Issue warning at. Select this check box, and then type a value, in kilobytes, to specify the maximum amount of space that the mailbox can occupy before a warning message is sent.
   - Prohibit send at. Select this check box, and then type a value, in kilobytes, to specify the maximum amount of space that a mailbox can occupy before the system prevents the owner of the mailbox from sending more messages.
   - Prohibit send and receive at. Select this check box, and then type a value, in kilobytes, to specify the maximum amount of space that a mailbox can occupy before the system prevents the owner of a mailbox from sending or receiving more messages. The value you specify for this option should be greater than the value you set for Prohibit send at.
5. Under Deleted item retention, select the Use retention time defaults check box to use the default limit settings in the Exchange private information store, or click to clear the Use retention time defaults check box to override the private information store storage limit. If you clear this check box, you can change the following settings:

- Delete after (days). Type the number of days that deleted items in the information store are retained before they are permanently deleted.
- Permanently delete items that have not been backed up. Select this check box to permanently delete all items scheduled for deletion regardless of whether they have been backed up. Click to clear this check box to prevent deletion of items that have not been backed up.

6. Click OK to save settings.